Rights bodies urge South Sudan to advance human rights reform agenda

[Photo: International Federation of Human Rights]

South Sudanese authorities should urgently advance and implement a comprehensive human rights agenda to improve the human rights in the country and address impunity, end repression and ensure rights protection, the South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch said Thursday.

The rights bodies made the remarks as South Sudan's human rights record comes under the spotlight at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

During its UPR in 2016, South Sudan accepted to adopt a human rights agenda but has failed to do so, the rights bodies said in a statement while urging the government of South Sudan to implement this commitment without further delay.

The three organizations outlined 10 priority rights concerns in line with the country’s human rights obligations, including under the Bill of Rights, international and regional standards, and the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). 

They call on South Sudan to urgently address several concerns, including the right to health, unlawful killings and the use of the death penalty, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and violations of the right to food, water, and education. They are also calling on authorities to take further steps to ensure truth, justice, and reparations for victims of past and ongoing violations and abuses resulting from the conflict that broke out in December 2013. "In some cases, the proposed reforms will need sustained international assistance and donor cooperation as well as domestic political leadership to fulfill human rights, including economic, social, and cultural rights. But there are immediate steps that the Government of South Sudan can and should take to fulfill its primary legal obligations," the rights bodies said.